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Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong addresses allegations of preferential treatment regarding the first lady’s family and the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project while at the National Assembly’s Members’ Office Building on July 6. (Yonhap)

The Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway development project, which has been under way for seven years, has been scrapped following allegations that the endpoint of the expressway was recently changed to a location near land owned by President Yoon Suk-yeol’s in-laws. This sudden cancellation of a major national project with a price tag of roughly 1.7695 trillion won is expected to cause significant backlash.

Already, Yangpyeong County, where the endpoint of the expressway would have been built, issued a demand that the decision to abandon the project be retracted.

Following a working-level meeting between the government and the ruling party at the National Assembly on Thursday, Land Minister Won Hee-ryong met with reporters and said, “Regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway development project, not just the review of the route but the pursuit of the road opening project itself will be shut down completely from this point onward,” adding, “Everything that has been carried out during this administration will be scrapped.”

“If this route is really needed, the next administration can make it happen,” Won continued.

The Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway has been promoted with the aim of alleviating traffic congestion on the Capital Region First Ring Expressway and National Route 6.

In 2017, the project was included in the “Priority Projects for the First Ring Expressway Construction Plan” and discussions began from then on.

In April 2021, the route with the terminus in Yangseo township of Yangpyeong County, passed the preliminary feasibility study of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The controversy began on May 8, 2023, when it was revealed that the endpoint was changed to the township of Gangsang in Yangpyeong County in the “Decision Contents of Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment Items” released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The Democratic Party and others sparked controversy over what appeared to be preferential treatment, citing the fact that the new terminus is only 500 meters away from land owned by the family of first lady Kim Keon-hee. In response, Won recently vowed to “review the route” in the National Assembly.

On the same day, Won also issued a scathing criticism aimed at the opposition for raising the issue of preferential treatment.

“The Democratic Party is weaving fictions from speculation and circumstantial evidence,” the land minister said, raising his voice. “If they’re so confident they should stop immersing themselves in trumping up charges and formally accuse me, the minister of land, infrastructure, and transport!”

“I’ll put not only my ministerial post, but my political career on the line,” he went on. “If this is shown to be a false charge, the Democratic Party should disband.”

The scrapping of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project is predicted to prompt fierce blowback. The legitimacy of completely abandoning such a major national policy without adequate deliberation is expected to come under fire, as well as the opaque decision-making process.

Jeon Jin-seon, a politician with the People Power Party who serves as head of Yangpyeong County, held a press conference immediately after Won’s announcement where he called on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to “rescind its abandonment of the project and allow the people of Yangpyeong County to hold onto their hopes and dreams.”

The ruling party itself appeared taken by surprise by Won’s announcement. One party insider who took part in party-government negotiations commented that the subject of the day’s negotiations had been “responding to fake news” about allegations raised by Democrats.

“Scrapping the project wasn’t discussed even during the closed-door meeting,” they shared.

By Choi Ha-yan, staff reporter; Shin Min-jung, staff reporter; Sun Dam-eun, staff reporter

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